<p>So how does it feel to be a student at University of Dayton, Notre Dame, Xavier, Boston College, or other Catholic schools if you're not Catholic?</p>
<p>Friends of DD who went to Catholic U in DC were not Catholic and DD looked at it herself. Although Catholic groups and tradition is strong on campus there were a great variety of folks with varying beliefs there and all seemed comfortable.</p>
<p>This was a concern for my daughter when we visited BC. She talked to two students who said they are basically agnostic and that religion has not been an issue at all. In fact, they said that they don’t even know what religion most of their friends are. Interestingly, both students said they arrived on campus atheists and are now more agnostic. The male student said he attended a retreat that was non-denominational, just “spiritual” and that it was life-changing for him. </p>
<p>We did not get that same response at Villanova. Our tour guide (and this may have been her personal opinion and not necessarily true of the entire campus) said that Sunday Mass is one of the biggest social events of the week. For her, religion was very important and a fundamental part of the campus life.</p>
<p>I was concerned about this with Georgetown. When the tour guide was discussing religious life and the various student groups, he only mentioned the Catholic ones, a Muslim one, and Hillel. So S asked the tour guide if there were Protestant groups on campus also, such as Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship or Campus Crusade. He said no. Turns out he was wrong, but that indicated to us that S might have some difficulty feeling at home. Also, we wondered if the Protestant groups were downplayed since they’re kind of competition in the sense that more people leave the Catholic church for Protestant churches than for synagogues or mosques.</p>
<p>Former schoolmate of my S goes to BC. He’s Jewish. He is thriving there.</p>
<p>DD will be a senior at Santa Clara University, a Jesuit school. She is not Catholic. It has NEVER been a problem.</p>
<p>GFG, I’m very surprised to hear about your Georgetown experience. Maybe you had a brand-new tour guide – or he was just having off day. I certainly hope he was an anomaly!</p>
<p>Jesuit schools (BC, Georgetown, Fordham, Gonzaga, and Santa Clara, among others) tend to be among the most liberal and tolerant Catholic schools, and are known for being places where non-Catholics are explicitly welcomed.</p>
<p>Catholic schools that would be most welcoming for non-Catholics would be Jesuit Schools (correlating with Jesuit traditions of service and education and international orientation). Also might consider schools that are in larger cities, i.e. U of St Thomas in Minneapolis is, I hear, pretty good. In religiously-oriented schools that are in rural settings or perhaps even suburban settings the social dynamic could wind up accentuating the religious identity aspect of the school. Certainly this happens with other denominations.</p>
<p>It has never been a problem, at all, for S at Notre Dame.</p>
<p>My Lutheran kids attended a private Catholic high school. There is no issue what so ever. They were required to take religion classes, but they were more global in their subject matter. I believe college religion classes are the same.</p>
<p>Look at the stats, I’ll bet only 30% of the kids at the colleges you mentioned are Catholic.</p>
<p>During our tour of Georgetown last August, I remember our tour guide telling us that about 50% of Georgetown students identify themselves as Catholic.</p>
<p>DD looked at UDayton. It is 65% Catholoc. They do have a nondenominational service once a week (not held in the large chapel on campus though). It seemed that a non-Catholic could be very at home there.</p>
<p>DW attended Xavier in Cincinnati and had to take religion classes, but those can be chosen. Her favorite was religions of the world.</p>
<p>I just graduated from a Catholic high school and I’m going to a Jesuit University. (I’m also an atheist.)</p>
<p>When it comes to people “identifying” themselves as Catholic, it basically means that that’s what they grew up in. Most young people aren’t religious, even at Catholic schools. In my graduating class only a handful would describe themselves as “religious.” And even if they were, it didn’t matter. You never talked about it. </p>
<p>In most Jesuit colleges you only have to take one or two theology classes in your core. I’m guessing they are more open to differing opinions than high-school professors. </p>
<p>The biggest obstacle you face when going to a Catholic university is a political/ethical one. I don’t think any Catholic college prescribes birth control. At Georgetown, the school won’t officially recognize H*yas for Choice, a group that hands out free condoms and, as the name says, is pro-choice. (They do recognize the pro-life group.) Some schools have archaic rules regarding guests of the opposite sex. My school won’t allow guests past 3:30 in the morning. My friend who’s going to Notre Dame told me that no one of the opposite sex is allowed in your room at any time. (Of course this also implies that the school doesn’t acknowledge it’s gay population…) Catholic schools also tend to have stricter alcohol policies than other schools. Out of all the Catholic universities I’ve looked at, Georgetown seems to be the most liberal out of all of them.</p>
<p>Never been a problem for our student at Notre Dame, either! Will be a Sr this fall and while one parent is Catholic, student was raised protestant. The academics have prevailed and we feel the education and price tag have been well worth it.</p>
<p>PS–^^ the friend is incorrect about students of opposite sex being in the dorm rooms. The rules aboout parietals fall more along the lines of no one of the opposite sex in the dorms after midnight M-Thurs and 2 pm on F and Sat nites, I believe.</p>
<p>Xavier is a Jesuit school and though we are Catholic many people we have spoken to did not see not being Catholic to be a problem. I believe the focus is more on service than specific religion itself.</p>
<p>Both of my kids went to the same Jesuit school and flourished there. We are not Catholic nor overly religious. All students are required to take Theology I and II. It is another way to broaden their education. They never had a problem “fitting in” and felt completely at home. With the Jesuits’ emphasis on education, the academics are top notch.</p>
<p>Intervaristy and Campus Crusade seem to focus very much on the religion and witnessing, etc. ITs not fair to call it “competition”. That is kind of an intersting statement, as if one religion was better than another. Intervaristy says they are evangelical, which means they are looking to convert- ie change others beliefs. </p>
<p>My daughter goes to a Jesuit College, she is non-religious, but participates wholeheartedly in alot of community service, which is a big focus for Catholic colleges, helping others, but not trying to convert.</p>
<p>If your son was really interested in heloing others, he would feel very welcome at a Catholic college.</p>
<p>GFG: really surprising reaction from Georgetown, bcos it has the rep as the most secular of the Catholic schools.</p>
<p>Another comment for Santa Clara – neighbor’s are Jewish and their D loves it up there.</p>
<p>Georgetown was not AT ALL a problem for my very non-religious older sister, or for her Jewish fiance for that matter. In fact, she’s now in the process of converting to Judaism, so I’d say that if Georgetown had any agenda on that, they definitely failed ;-)</p>